I paid very little money for this S&W Model 10-5 revolver with a 5" barrel last Friday. It was a police trade-in from Gwinnett County, GA. The gun is in perfect mechanical condition and should be a great shooter grade revolver. The bad news was the very distressed finish. Along with the loss of bluing and surface rust, it looked as though something acidic had been spilled on the right side plate where the S&W emblem is stamped. (see pictures 4 & 5)

I used kroil and fine brass wool to remove the surface rust. I then soaked it in a 50%/50% mixture of water and white vinegar for a couple of hours to remove the remaining bluing and take the surface down to bare metal. (picture 3)

Then I used Belgian Blue to reblue the revolver. This process involves heating the parts to be reblued in boiling water for two to thee minutes, padding on the Belgian Blue, returning the gun to the boiling water for another few minutes, and then carding off the surface. I once again used the brass wool to card the surface. You repeat the process until you get the color you desire. Generally it takes at least 4 times, but I repeated the process 8 times. Finally, you quench the surface with oil and rub off the excess. (picture 1 & 2)